Figure 82

Specimen of J. Petri, Basle

From facsimile issued by K. Burger

1525

The rough specimen of Joh. Petri shows the kind of roman and italic used in Basle printing-houses, but the successful manner of its use can be realized only by seeing such books as I have mentioned. Besides three sizes of roman and two of italic (the largest size of each much like Schoeffer’s), the sheet displays a Greek font and some Hebrew type. The fraktur at the bottom is very characteristic in its ugliness. Published in 1525, it is, except for Ratdolt’s the earliest specimen-sheet known.

See chapter 12